A Changhua County district judge has handed an eight-month prison term to a five-time drunk driving offender, adding to the debate over a petition to introduce public caning as punishment for drunk driving.
The district court yesterday convicted a 48-year-old man surnamed Chang (張) for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and disturbing public order.
Changhua police had on Sept. 3 at about 7am stopped Chang for a roadside Breathalyzer test and detained him after finding his blood alcohol level to be 0.48 milligrams per liter (mg/L), well over the legal limit of 0.15mg/L.
After questioning, Chang said he drank while eating with friends the previous night.
The judge ordered Chang’s motorcycle license to be revoked due to past DUI convictions.
“This is his fifth DUI conviction in eight years. We believe it would not be proper to only levy fines for this conviction and think he should serve an eight-month prison term,” the judge’s statement said.
“He is a repeat DUI offender and has received punishment before, but his past sentences were commuted to fines or community service and did not deter him,” it said.
This decision came in the aftermath of a high-profile drunk driving accident last week, in which a 32-year-old bakery chef surnamed Chen (陳) was killed in Taichung.
After questioning, prosecutors detained a 34-year-old woman surnamed Yen (顏), who was later found to have been convicted of DUI in May in which her license was revoked.
Prosecutors indicted Yen on offense of DUI causing death and violating public order after she and her two passengers were ordered for urinalysis testing on suspicion of using ketamine and other narcotics.
According to police records, Yen ran a red light at an intersection and rammed into Chen’s motorcycle, launching him into the air.
Paramedics could not revive him at the scene and he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The chef’s death and other drunk-driving cases prompted support for a petition to implement public flogging for repeat offenders, with advocates decrying the impotence of the law on DUI violators.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS